Afrojack dishes on forthcoming album ‘Forget the World,’ due out May 19th

Afrojack recently sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss the details on his forthcoming artist album Forget the World. Joining the club of electronic artists who have moved past the singles driven side of the industry into full length territory, Afrojack’s debut is just as much a personal statement as it is an album.

Disclosing his inspiration behind the album and its name, Nick told Rolling Stone that Forget the World is “basically a message not just to my fans, but also to myself, to always remember to keep following your heart, keep following your path, and never try to let the things around you get you down.”

He goes on to address the overly-digital life of this new generation of fans and the pressures everyone feels from having their likes and dislikes broadcast on the world stage. Comparing the peer pressure of publicly showcasing your interests and passions to rubber duckies on Facebook (yes, the yellow kind), Nick draws a line in the sand and urges fans to do what they love and ignore anyone who thinks otherwise:

“The message that I’m sending out is basically a reminder to everyone in the world that it shouldn’t be that way. I remember when I started getting into music, everyone looked at me like I was a fucking idiot. Like, “You’re going into music?” I was in school, I was a good learner; if I wanted to get something done, I could get it done. I was lazy, though. I was always like sort of an outcast. And when I got home, I was always doing music, but when I was doing music, no one was there to judge it, you know? It was just me in my bedroom. It gave me freedom and made me happy. I think that freedom is really important for people to remember and you can create it yourself. You’re going to be way happier doing what you actually love and finding other people that love the same thing then doing something that other people love so you’re just cooler and you have cool friends.”

Pushing the envelope and working outside of his comfort zone, Nick collaborated with numerous high profile artists on Forget the World, including Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa and Sting. But it’s not the artists or debut album that are most important for the iconic producer, it’s the freedom he discovered in the process; “I’ve found my way, and people can enjoy my music for themselves. They don’t have to worry about what people think about it.”